Canna of the Thousand Techniques
by Kuinshii
Summary: A fic based on a fic. Fanfiception! Based on Kuroui's awesome claymore trilogy. Kuroui, Kayla and Rina stumble upon a forest...and a mysterious claymore. She is known as Canna of the Thousand Techniques and she has decided to pass on her knowledge. AU lol
1. The Dead Claymore

**Chapter 1 – The Dead Claymore~**

Canna added more wood into the fire. Today was a rainy day, and it brought with it a cold mist. She sighed, content with the serene calmness of solitary living. She looked around her home, mentally noting that she should buy more fabrics. Her house was self-made from hardened earth and lied under a mound, concealing it well. Her furniture and bed was bought at the nearby village. For food, she had a small fire pit, made from a metal ring and a grate to cook. She was fond of fish and caught them in a stream. She also had a small stash of alcoholic drinks behind an old but small tapestry. Here, in the secluded forest with the basic necessities, Canna was able to evade detection from Yoma and the Organization. She sipped some tea. How long has it been already since…？

Her cup of tea rippled. A soft thud was heard above her home. She stood up and closed her eyes, focusing her yoki on sensing what disturbances were above. Two…or maybe three claymore warriors. She was never good at sensing yoki. Canna was about to sit back down and leave the warriors at that, but she felt a quivering of one's yoki. She placed her cup of tea on a nearby stand and took a step outside.

"I shall regret this later" she sighed.

Kuroui and Rina dragged Kayla along, supporting her on either side. Kayla gave a small groan. The three claymores were tired and wounded from fighting five Awakened Beings simultaneously, especially with the bad weather. They trekked through the muddy ground. Even Kuroui, the strongest claymore of the team, was out of breath.

"Hang in there, Kayla! Don't you dare die on us!" Rina growled.

Suddenly, Kuroui stopped and stared at the forest. Rina looked at her quizzically. Kuroui seemed to have sensed something. Her eyes flashed gold and she quickly handed Kayla to Rina, motioning her to step back. Kuroui drew her claymore and called out.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

A figured stepped out of the dense bush in a graceful movement. Rina's eyes widened. _Another claymore…? Out here?_ They were in no condition to fight, especially not while dragging an unconscious comrade along.

Rina looked at the claymore, examining her potential enemy. The claymore seemed older than all of them, but still looked adult. She had long hair tied back loosely with two ribbons. Strangest of all, she wore the claymore armour, but she did not appear to have her claymore.

"I mean you no harm, ladies. I offer you a safe place to rest and…_heal your comrade._" The mysterious claymore said, emphasizing the last part.

She looked at Rina, who turned to Kuroui for an answer. Kuroui hesitated, judging the situation. She finally said yes, but then added

"How do we know we can trust you?"

"You do not know." She replied cryptically.

The mysterious claymore turned around, showing that she did not carry her claymore and started walking, motioning for them to follow her. Kuroui and Rina obediently followed. Kuroui sheathed her claymore and tapped the pommel, which was a silent signal to Rina to be on her guard. Rina nodded. Eventually they arrived at a hill, but upon closer examination, was actually an underground home. The claymore lifted up a grate of wood bark and leaves that covered the entrance, motioning for Rina to go down first.

Inside, the claymore told Rina to put Kayla on a bed. She pulled up some chairs for the claymores to sit around the bed.

"Do either of you know healing?" The claymore asked.

Rina shook her head and Kuroui stayed silent. Rina glanced at Kayla, who was breathing hard. Sweat dripped down her face.

"If you will permit me, I have a remedy for your friend. She must have been in contact with the Eiliean roses, the thorns are laden with a chemical that even us claymore have difficulty healing." She explained.

Before Kuroui could voice her opinion, Rina hastily agreed, worried for the health of her sister. Kuroui did not scold her though, for she would've agreed to it all the same. Rina took a nearby cloth and dabbed at Kayla's wet face. A few moments later, the claymore returned to the room, with a bowl of green liquid. She handed the bowl to Kuroui, who fed it to Kayla, none too gently.

"She's waking up!" Rina squawked.

Kayla's eyes fluttered open, and choked on the medicine. Coughing, she sat up in the bed. Rina's breathed a sigh of relief and patted her sister on the shoulder until she stopped coughing.

"I owe you my life, stranger" Kayla said. "I couldn't move my body, but I could hear perfectly. You saved me from death and I owe you a favour."

The mysterious claymore shook her head. "Please call me Canna, child. And there's no need for that. I neither take lives nor feel the need for favours. Your gratitude is payment enough." She said gently.

"Canna…" Kuroui repeated. "Canna….Canna of the Thousand Techniques?"

She gave a little chuckle in response. "I have not heard that name in a while! But yes, I am the one of that name."

Rina and Kayla looked at each other in amazement. Kayla shrugged her shoulders, she had never heard of this claymore.

"I am Kuroui" She introduced. "These are my teammates Rina and Kayla."

Canna nodded to them in acknowledgment. "I doubt that your friends have lived long enough to have heard of me but yes, I have indeed created over a thousand fighting styles and techniques." She turned back to Kuroui. "How is it that you have come to learn of me?"

"When I was a young trainee, I watched a friendly spar between you and the 3rd ranked claymore." She replied. "You easily won, but…it was said that you refused to change your number."

Canna nodded with a faint smile on her lips.

"But you were confirmed dead by the Organization…They had your body and a funeral!"

Canna laughed, much to the surprise of the other three warriors. "Well, was it a nice funeral?" Rina smirked and Kayla gave a small laugh.

"I have created over a thousand techniques." Canna said with her voice full of pride. "Do you not think that I would have also created one to evade death? Or more precisely, _fake it._" She said with a wink.

"Fake it? How? The Organization would have checked your blood, your DNA…everything! It's near impossible!" Kayla yelled.

There was the echoing of Kayla's voice and then silence.

"Lizards." Canna whispered, folding her arms and sitting down. "The way their cells are, if they lose a tail to a predator, they can regenerate them back. However, in a few special cases, the cells are not told to stop, and they lizard ends up with _two_ tails instead of one."

"By controlling the Yoma blood to attach to certain cells and chemicals in my body," she continued. "I created an extra body. Of course it would not have come alive, but it was a copy of me. They found that corpse while I ran away and currently reside here." She finished.

The group sat wide-eye from listening to her amazing tale. "D-Do you think I could do that too?" Rina asked.

To her dismay, Canna shook her head; a definite no. "It is a dangerous technique, it takes a long time to use, and without the proper yoki control that I have, you may have to use 100% of your yoki to produce even a foot!" She warned.

Rina pouted; disappointed that she could not learn it. Canna saw her disappointment and sighed. "But if you keep me company for a while, I will be willing to teach you a few of my techniques."

Rina and Kayla had a smile spreading on their faces. They looked at each other and at Canna in excitement. "But for now, you must rest your weary selves! Shall I tell you stories and rock you to sleep? I am quite the story-teller." She said. Her tone was serious, but she was only teasing.

"We're not that young, Canna!" They said simultaneously. "But how old _are_ you?" Kayla added.

"Humph. Never ask a lady her age" She sniffed. "But…even if I were not a claymore, my hair would still be as silvery white!"

They all burst out in laughter, something most claymores did not experience much. Canna lifted up embroidery that served as a door and motioned them to go in. Kuroui mumbled something about Rina and Kayla being too loud.


	2. Bedtime Story

**Chapter 2 – Bedtime Story~**

Canna smiled a warm smile and asked about the group. Her face lightened up when they told her they ran away from the Organization. She asked them about their travels and soon it was like Canna had been a long-lost friend to them. Kuroui made ready for bed and took the side of bed facing the wall.

"I apologize for taking up your bedroom." Kuroui finally said. To which Canna shook her head respectfully.

The room was small. She only had 1 bed, but it was large enough for three claymores to fit in. She told them she would sleep on the couch and to wake her if they needed anything. There was a bed stand next to the mattress with a framed photo in it. There was a tapestry featuring a knight battling a dragon, beautifully woven and dyed. The floor had rugs and a small window that led to the ground level. Kayla examined the photograph on the stand. It was a sepia photo of two young children. The edges and corners were burned. Kayla recognized one person wearing a trainee uniform. One was a girl and the other was a boy. The girl wore the uniform while the boy wore basic clothes. The photo depicted the boy giving the girl a kiss on the cheek, which she had to admit was cute. Kayla guessed that the bouquet she held was also from him. She turned towards Canna.

"Canna, is this you?" She shyly asked.

Canna gave a small laugh and wiped away tears. "Yes, in the early days of my childhood. A very, _very_ long time ago."

Kayla set the picture back on the table. Rina had already taken off her armour and jumped onto the soft mattress. "So where's that story you promised, Canna?" she asked.

Her eyebrows rose in surprise. "I did not suspect you would actually like to hear one, child."

Rina giggled mischievously. "I want to know what life was like in your times, what was the organization like then, and how you made all those battle tricks!" She paused but quickly added. "And who the boy in the photograph is!"

Canna breathed in deeply and closed her eyes, trying to form the memories in her mind to words. Kayla snuggled up beside her sister and pulled the covers over.

"My story is like most of the claymores'; wrapped up in tragedy and death. Once long ago, I lived in a palace that sparkled in the sun…in a far and distant land called Angleland. I was the_ queen of the land! My palace resided on the moon and everyday I would gaze longingly at the Earth belo-"_

Canna's story was cut short by Rina, who threw a pillow at her. She caught the pillow mid-flight. "I guess not, huh?" She grinned at them. By now even Kuroui was sitting up to listen in. Canna excused herself and returned with a bottle of…who knows what. She asked the claymores if they wanted a drink, but they all refused.

"Tell us the real story now!" Rina and Kayla chorused. Kuroui said nothing but they could tell she wanted to listen too

Canna cleared her throat and began anew. "As much as I knew as a young'un, some of the elder claymores found me in an abandoned village, left there by my parents. They found me in a patch of canna lilies, and thus they gave me my name." She sipped a bit of drink and continued.

"In those days, the Organization had no way of transplanting blood through surgery, as they do now. When I was a trainee, we had to drink the Yoma blood to become a claymore. Most trainees felt that they had to suffer the pain alone and made no bonds, but I…I found comfort in a dear friend…His name was Daragan. He was a curious claymore. The Organization found him after a Yoma killed his family. He was always animal-like. His voice, his posture, and the very way he glared at people…"

She took a break to pick up the precious photograph and laid it on her lap lovingly. "The first time we met must have been the time the other boys were stealing his ration of food. He tried to defend his meal, but with all the boys being…well, boys, he had nothing left. I gave him the rest of my meal. At first he stared at me like a raven would a rival bird, but eventually he accepted it…

* * *

><p><em>Canna clambered up the grassy hill wildly. She turned around and stuck her tongue out at the boy running after her. Today was one of the few days the Organization left the children to go out to play, although most were huddled in their beds moaning in pain from the Yoma transformation.<em>

"_I win!" the young girl yelled. "That means you get to-_

_The boy jumped on her and tackled her to the ground. They both tumbled and rolled down the hill, laughing and screaming at the same time. _

"_Daragan bows down to no one!" The boy proudly roared. He sat on Canna, pinning her down under his weight. "Now beg for mercy or you'll face my wrath!"_

"_Never!" Canna answered. "A knight never gives up!" She tried to shove the boy off her back, but was met with tickles and screamed out laughter. She laughed until tears streamed down her face. Finally, she managed to throw him off. They both lay on the grass, looking up to the sky and chatting._

"_That's not right, Canna, the boy is the one who becomes the knight! You're supposed to wait until I've beaten the dragon and rescued you!" The boy called Daragan scolded._

_Canna kicked him playfully. Their childish giggles filled the air. "Hey, Daragan. We'll always be together like this right?" She asked. Daragan nodded and took her hand. "Always, always, always!" He howled like a wolf and made her laugh. "You're such an animal sometimes! I should just stroll around town with you on a leash!"_

_They shared a peaceful moment of silence and rest. Then suddenly Canna asked. 'So…what exactly are the doctors doing to you, Daragan? I'm kind of worried…" She said as she turned to meet his eyes. Her eyes shimmered with a tiny pang of sadness. "I mean, they separate the girls from the guys and while I get armour and a wooden sword to practice, you guys don't get any training at all!"_

_Daragan turned away and sighed. "Jeez, Canna. I just can't lie to you when you're like that. Well, they put these shackle-like things on us to measure something…and sometimes they make us fight each other. You know, just fist-fight, until they tell us to stop or one of us gives up. B-but we're getting stronger." He said, assuring his friend that he was fine. _

_Canna stared into his eyes, and she could tell that he was trying to lie, to keep her from worrying. She touched her forehead with his, their way of showing affection. "I keep hearing that the boys are being used on as experiments, and they all end up as Awakened Beings. I just don't want to lose you…"_

* * *

><p>Canna took another swig from the bottle. She excused herself and came back with her 3rd bottle. The room was dead quiet as the three claymores listened on, eyes widened with curiosity. She returned and continued.<p>

"After a while, they decided to merge the remaining boys and girls. Sometimes I would train with Daragan. When it came to brute force, my dearest always won. But sometimes I would win too. Ah yes, that year, the claymore trainers were very harsh on us, especially on the girls. And it really _did not help_ that Daragan was so stubbornly protective and had a _very bad temper_." She said, straining specific words.


	3. Daragan The Animal

**Chapter 3 – Daragan the Animal~ **

"_The last ones to carry their bags will have no food for the week!" the trainer threatened. On horseback, he took out his horsewhip and smacked the few that lagged behind. Canna and Daragan ran side by side, near the middle of the group. The training exercise was to carry heavy bags of rocks all around the track. The track cruelly circled from the bottom of the mountain all the way to the top. Most of the boys had no problems, but some girls were already breathing heavily. Canna had hurt herself during an earlier exercise, and the wound on her back started to open up again. _

_ "Hey, Canna, put some rocks in my bag! Hurry before the trainer catches us!" Daragan whispered. Canna shook her head. He growled savagely at her "You're hurt. Your back is bleeding again. "No." She replied stubbornly through gritted teeth. She and Daragan started to lag behind. _

"_Get going before you get whipped!" Canna urged. Daragan smiled. "Hey girl, I can be stubborn too…! Canna scoffed in response._

"S-sorry, could you repeat that last part again?" Kayla asked quietly.

Canna was on her 12th bottle and was slurring her speech. " I shaid, he waasss shweet, but a total…totull…**shtubborn donkey!"**

_The trainer suddenly caught up to Canna and Daragan, who were one of the last ones. A boy and two girls had passed out and were draped over the horse to be carried. Daragan elbowed his friend to warn her to pick up the pace. The group paced ahead and knew that it was best to ignore anything that happened._

_ "Goddamn boys and their hormones. No getting close, you two!" The trainer yelled. _

_He raised the horsewhip and brought it right on Canna's spine. She gave a small cry of pain and dropped the bags. She fell to the ground and tried to get back up again. The trainer clicked his tongue and got off his horse. "Another brat goes and bites the dust." He spat right on her. Daragan threw his bags to the side and rushed over to Canna. He was met with a solid kick to the gut from the trainer, who threw curses at the pair. The rest of the group was already beyond sight, but they knew not to stop until they had reached the top. He muttered under his breath and raised the whip over Canna. She tried to get up, but she kept falling, like a newborn foal who was trying to learn to walk. _

_ "I've just had about enough of you, you little useless bitch!" He yelled._

_Just then, as he was bringing the whip down, Daragan stopped it and glowered at the man._

_ "What…did you_ **just call her…**_**?**__" He growled._

_The trainer stepped back and let go of the whip. He spoke into his earpiece about needing backup. Daragan clenched his fists as his eyes changed colour. _

"_I heard of you around the other trainers. They call you Daragan the I ain't scared of little punks like you! I'll deal with you once I'm done with that trash next to you!" He growled._

_The boy suddenly let forth his yoki; from 10% to 20%. His face stretched and his teeth became sharper. He went on four limbs and let out a roar that sounded more animal than human. It knocked the trainer off balance and he landed on his backside. He spiked his Yoma blood up to 30% and wings sprouted from his back. He charged savagely at the trainer. The trainer screamed as he backed up, lost his footing at the edge of the track and his scream echoed as he fell all the way down. The two children heard a small CRACK and then silence. The still-transformed Daragan rushed back over to Canna, who was lying faced-down. He whimpered sadly and nudged her gently. He was transforming back as he waited by her side, but it was a painfully slow transition. His voice, calling her name again and again, still sounded more animal than human. _

"_Da-Dara…Dara-gan…" Canna managed weakly. She was breathing heavily. He rushed to her face and tucked her hair behind her ears. "Dara…gan…!" She whispered, trying to reach for his cheek. He took her hand and held it to his cheek for her. She could feel the tears on his face. He was never one to be sentimental, but this once, they were streaming down like a waterfall. _

"_W-what's wrong with you Canna…? Why can't you get up? What's wrong? Does it hurt a lot?" He whined. With his small voice, Canna could not believe that he was called an Animal. He sounded more like a hurt little puppy than his usual fierce self._

_Her eyes seemed unfocused and blurry. "Dara...Daraga...n. I-I-I can't…move…my body…I…I-I can har-har-hardly even…see…see you…" She replied. She tried to keep her voice calm, but her own voice sounded foreign to her and came out shaky and small. He answered with whines and whimpers, too scared to move her in case he made it worse. She tried to get back up, but her body trembled under her and she fell back onto the ground. Finally, she gave up and laid there. Daragan offered to carry her, but Canna refused, saying her body hurt too much._

_By then the reinforcements came. Daragan had already stabilized his yoki, but threatened to awaken when they tried to come near the two. He didn't trust anyone and when the medical team tried to come near Canna, he stood protectively beside her, still growling and barking like a mad dog._

* * *

><p>Canna burst out in hilarious laughter. She had stopped drinking after the 21st bottle, but she was still tipsy. "T-that idiot! I almost died! Not because of my paralyzzzed state, but the way he was keeping everyone away frum me! I heard someone shcreaming that Daragan had bit him too!"<p>

Kayla and Rina brought the covers up. They were suddenly scared of Canna. With alcohol in her she seemed like a totally different person. She was a quiet and gentle person before, like a graceful ghost. But now they thought of her as a complete phantom straight from horror stories. Nevertheless, they wanted her to carry on.

"He was hissing and growling and snapping at anyone who tried coming close, yelling that only he was allowed to touch me and that he would rip apart anyone who would hurt me…so childish!" She laughed but suddenly her head fell sadly. She banged her fist on the table. "That fool was such a child…! He meant well, and was confused with the events, but he was threatening to **awaken.** Saying that right next to me! And if he went true to his word, I wouldn't even be able to bring him back..."

* * *

><p><em>After two hours of useless persuasion and roaring, Daragan finally agreed to let the medical team bring Canna to the hospital part of the base, but on the condition that he transport her. He lifted the girl on his back and carried her piggyback-style. She bit her tongue to keep from screaming in pain. It took a long while for them to trek back down the mountain, waiting for a boy while they were on horseback. <em>

"_Dara…Dara…gan..." Canna whispered quietly. Her body twitched and he almost lost hold of her. She wanted to walk on her own, but seemed to have no control of her body._

"_Don't." He commanded. "I'm not letting anyone else near you. And I'm not going to leave you either. You may not be able to speak right now, but I know you can hear me." _

_Canna awkwardly smiled. "I…I was …just…th-th-thinking…" She said weakly. "Y-you aren…aren't…like a…a…knight at…all…! You're…you're more like…like…a…__**really...**__pro-protec…protective…dragon." She finished and she relaxed her muscles. She touched her head with the boy's. Daragan gave a low bark which made Canna laugh weakly._

"I…I think that's really cute." interrupted Rina. "What happened then?"

* * *

><p><em>Daragan was ecstatic. After 9 months in the hospital to treat her spine injury, they were letting Canna out. He bought a bouquet of flowers, canna lilies and roses, and waited at the hospital entrance. He waited, even when 2 hours passed by.<em>

"_You resemble a little puppy wagging its tail, waiting for a doggy biscuit from its owner. I really am considering a leash." A voice behind him teased._

_He whirled around and tackled the girl in armour. Where they used to nudge foreheads as a sign of affection, Daragan seemed to smother her head with his. Canna let out a burst of laughter and knocked heads with him._

"_Don't tell me you want to send me back in there!" Canna joked. _

_Daragan handed her the bouquet without a word and shoved his hands in his pockets. She took it gratefully and smelled them. He quickly planted a kiss on her cheek as a candid photo shot was taken. She blushed furiously and hit Daragan with the bouquet before realizing that the roses had not been de-thorned… _


	4. The Dragon

**Chapter 4 – The Dragon~**

"Should I wake her up…?" Rina asked.

Canna had dozed off after 23 bottles of alcohol, all which were lying around her. Kayla shook her head. She figured that there has to be a reason for her to drink if she were to tell her story. Kuroui sensed Kayla's curiosity.

"I can tell you the rest of her story. She had one of the largest funerals when I was still young." She told them.

After moving Canna to the couch, Rina and Kayla turned to Kuroui and listened carefully.

" Well, Irene told me that the Organization was going to have Daragan killed off, being that he was one of the very few males to ever control their yoki and a huge risk for them to take. The claymore known as Daragan the Animal managed to run off to hide, but they captured Canna, and took her back to the Organization. I was told she was interrogated, brutally tortured to reveal where Daragan was hiding. Daragan revealed himself apparently. When they said that the male Awakened Beings destroyed most of the Organization, it was mostly Daragan himself. He saved Canna and took her to a safe place, but…they say he Awakened, killed Canna and was slain by the claymores that found Canna's body."

The room was dead quiet.

Kuroui thought deeply, analyzing the information.

"But now that I look at it…" Kuroui continued. "If Canna survived by faking her corpse, and Daragan had Awakened…that means Canna would have had to be the one who slayed him…"

Her analysis sent chills up the warriors' spines. Kayla suggested they go to sleep and with heavy hearts, they did. And even though Canna was heavily influenced, she still had the dreams, the dreams of Daragan.

* * *

><p>"<em>Look at what they did to you!" Daragan roared. He was at 20% Yoma power, a very risky percentage for male claymores. And he was increasing his power with every second.<em>

_Canna spat out blood. Her hair was in a tangled mess and her clothes were ripped and shredded. Her wounds were plentiful, although not deep. "But Daragan, go back there, and they will __**kill you**__! You've brought us to this forest, we can run away! We can run and never have to face the other claymores anymore!" She reasoned._

_Daragan looked at her with glossy, golden eyes. "They deserve to die. I swore that I would have revenge for everything they did to you! Tell me, how much did they hurt you? I'll return that ten-fold! I'm not letting them off without chopping off a few heads!"_

"_Daragan! Listen to me,I've been working on this technique. It can create fake copies of us. If we leave them to be found, they will think we're dead and leave us alone! I already started on mine. Please, Daragan. You can't face the Organization! I don't want to lose you! Look at yourself; you're turning into a full Yoma!" She pleaded._

"_**AM NOT!**__" He retorted hotly. Canna glanced away as nearby birds took off and an echo sounded through the forest. She crossed her arms and closed her eyes, refusing to look at him anymore. The echo faded and a heavy silence took its place._

_A cold wind swept by and Canna shivered silently. "Make a fire to keep yourself warm. I hunted down some wild animals here and I already built a shelter for you." He finally said._

_She opened her mouth to argue with him further but he took her face in his hands and gave her a kiss on the lips. Once he let her go, he flew off towards the Organization, leaving her and his claymore behind. Canna screamed at him, calling him an idiot, but he only gave a loud roar in response. Once her rage had subsided, she fell to the ground and sobbed, still calling him an idiot._

_He came back 3 hours later, calling Canna's name. But even with his soft tone, the Yoma transformation deformed his voice. She answered and ran to him, only to be met with a horribly bleeding half-Yoma claymore. _

"_Daragan! You're bleeding like crazy!" She cried. _

_She knew that his wounds were serious and that neither of them knew healing. She came to him with a wet cloth and bandages made from birch bark. She yelled at him to take off his armour, stabilize his yoki before he awoke and to lie down. He let her assault him with words and cloth silently, but did none of what she told him to do._

"_Canna…can't you sense it? I'm…already awakening."_

_She dropped the cloth onto the ground He felt her gentle hands lift his head up to see hers. The look of her eyes tore into him, as it always did. She looked into his still-golden eyes with her piercing gaze. He could not pull his Yoma wings back in anymore and his teeth stayed sharp. His Yoma blood was increasing, although Canna was not sharp enough to sense it. He could not stop. He could not stop crying. _

"_You have to kill me…you have to kill me now. If you don't, I'll end up killing everyone…and you…"_

_The look on her face pained him. He only wanted to protect her, so that she'd never make that face ever again, but he was the reason she was crying now. How he hated himself for letting his emotions get the better of him. She wiped away the tears streaming down his face. _

"_No, Daragan, you know I can't do that…!"_

_He took her hand, trying desperately to silence the urging voice that told him to kill her and eat her guts. He inched closer towards her, and her scent grew stronger and stronger._

"_Please. Please, Canna. I wish to die as the Daragan you love…"_

_The words tore into her and she lowered her head silently. She let go of him to fetch her claymore. Without a sound, she returned with it._

_She had not cried a drop, but her eyes were watering. She wanted to keep them in, for once she let even a small sob, the dam she built would break. She came up to him and thrust her sword right into his chest. He gave a small grunt and blood spewed from his mouth. He could tell that she was aiming for the vital spot, but her trembling hands made her miss. He couldn't blame her. At the instant her sword met his body, their hearts connected. Daragan could feel the dam that was threatening to break and heard the sniffles. Canna could feel the longing in Daragan's heart to live, but also the burden of a claymore's fate. Daragan wrapped his arms around Canna. He touched his forehead with hers for the last time._

_Canna couldn't keep herself contained any longer._

"_DARAGAAAAANN!" She cried. The tears immediately starting breaking her fragile façade. She cursed herself for missing and dooming her beloved to a slower death. Daragan coughed up more blood and his body sank to the ground. His body disintegrated, leaving only his head. He purposely did it to spend more time with her._

_He whispered something to her. His words came out quiet and small, but still had the growl of Daragan the Animal_

"_Canna…please…don't hate me…okay? It was painful…watching you cry, being tortured like that. So…please…don't hate me. I did it, because I loved you. I just…loved you too much…to let them…" He coughed up more blood. "let them…hurt you…"_

_She nodded, for words were stuck in her throat. She choked back the tears and kissed Daragan on the forehead. It was the last goodbye as Daragan finally died in her arms._

_The next day, after burying Daragan's severed head, Canna brought his claymore and flowers to the grave. She had heavy bags under her eyes and they were red and puffy. She went to the forest and brought back long branched that she used to make a fence around the grave, pointing the branches outwards._

"_I'll be back, Daragan." She quietly whispered._

* * *

><p>"<em>Are you sure that's her?" the claymore asked, turning to her partner.<em>

"_Sure looks like her, just that we can't find the damn claymore and armour." She replied. _

_Through her earpiece, she called in some scientists to examine the body. They arrived a few minutes later and took some of her hair, skin and blood to test it. They confirmed it was her, and brought the body back for a proper funeral at the Organization._

"_She was a good claymore. She was weak, her strength and speed were average, but somehow she made up for that. Her smile was one of the warmest and I'll never forget her humour. I will forever remember her as Canna of the Thousand Techniques!" Elda finished._

_She joined the crowd in silence. Among them were a young Teresa, Sophia, Rosemary, Noel, Irene and Kuroui. They laid the casket into the ground and everyone left with heavy hearts, unaware that the real Canna had escaped right under their noses._


	5. Friendly Spar

**Chapter 5 – Friendly Spar~**

The next morning, Rina and Kayla were up for early practise. Kuroui wandered off to search the surroundings. Canna was the last to awake, being drunk the night before and greeted the two claymores.

"Yeah! Come at me!" Rina yelled.

Kayla responded with a thrust of her claymore. Rina evaded and countered with a heavy swing that crashed against her opponent's claymore. Canna sat nearby, organizing some dried leaves. Humming a little tune, she pulled the stalks away from the leaves into two separate piles. The air was filled with the clank of metal against metal. Kuroui finally came back and sat by Canna, watching her teammates spar. They fought for an hour, and Canna had finished her meticulous sorting. She then brought out her claymore, polishing it with a rag. Rina and Kayla stopped, intrigued with her claymore.

It had a long dent running vertically down from the guard all the way to the tip. The pommel also had a tiny bell charm attached to it that chimed as Canna moved the sword.

"Whoa," Rina exclaimed. "How did your claymore get that _dent_ in it?"

Canna's eyebrows twitched in annoyance, but she explained calmly.

"Ch-Child, this is called a _blood groove_. It lessens the weight of the claymore while taking away none of its strength. It is an ancient forging trick I learned about once."

The pair came closer to inspect it, eyes wide with curiosity. Kuroui was also fascinated; Kayla and Rina simultaneously asked how she could have done that, as a claymore they had met told them the material was strange and very hard to break.

"Kayla, there is a stone near the back entrance of my home. Please go and tell me what you notice about it." She commanded.

Kayla was confused with the order, but did as she was told. She came back to report her findings.

"Well, there's a small hole in it. There was a gutter and I guess the water was falling into that hole. But what does that have to do with your claymore?" She said.

Canna held her claymore upright and ran her hand down the blood groove. "Not even alien material can win against time and the simple drop of water." She replied. She explained how she left her claymore against that gutter for almost 5 years and it eroded away the sword, thus creating a so called "_dent"_.

"Would anyone care to spar?" Canna asked politely.

Rina was the first to put her hand up, like a hyperactive child. They moved to the clearing while Kayla sat next to Kuroui. They got into their battle stances and prepared themselves.

"I want to you watch carefully." Kuroui said, pointing at Canna. "Watch for her battle tricks and more importantly, her yoki control."

"Are you an offensive or defensive type?" Rina asked.

"…what do you mean? Claymores of my time were not sorted into those categories." She replied.

"So what number were you?" Rina asked.

"Ah, I was number Eleven, and you?"

Rina lowered her sword. "No way! I'm number Two! I can't fight with a low number like you, even if you are older! It just doesn't sit right with me!" She protested.

Canna shrugged and charged at her. As Rina shielded herself from the collision, Canna quickly switched her claymore to her left hand, which caught Rina off guard. Canna's claymore bounced off Rina's shoulder pad, but it knocked her balance off, and she fell. The bell on Canna's claymore sounded with a soft ring.

She quickly sprung back up and unleashed 10% of her Yoma blood level. Her teeth sharpened and her eyes changed colour. Canna frowned but said nothing. Rina charged at her and swung her sword down, breaking the earth where Canna was. As soon as her sword met the earth, Canna leaped and using Rina's shoulder, flipped behind her. Rina turned with her sword to try to retaliate but Canna did not land on the ground. With her one arm on Rina's shoulder, she balanced herself on her opponent and had her claymore resting against Rina's neck. She leaped of and smirked at Rina.

"I was not well-known for my strength or speed, but for my acrobatics and agility. Did you not remember Kuroui telling you that I had beaten the 3rd ranked claymore but refused the number?"

Rina stabilized her yoki as she realized that the battle had been decided in such a short time. "Why though?" She questioned Canna as she landed gracefully back onto the ground.

Canna shrugged. "Eleven is my lucky number."

"Amazing!" Kayla exclaimed. "And she didn't even need her Yoma powers!"

Next, Kuroui stood up from her seat. She went up to Canna and challenged her. She gave a smile in response and nodded.

"It would be my absolute pleasure. Please do not push yourself though."

And the fight began. Canna was the first to charge, and Kayla, at the sidelines, knew that Kuroui would be waiting to unleash her Wind Cutter. She waited until Canna came into her range, and struck. However, Canna was expecting that, and just before she got in range, she dug her claymore into the dirt and used it to propel herself into the air. She flipped and drop kicked onto Kuroui. Kuroui was sharp and narrowly dodged the attack, only getting clipped on her arm.

"I noticed that your yoki doesn't go to your legs when you move." Kuroui dryly remarked.

The clang of their swords echoed through the air. Kuroui found that it was easier to lock swords with the blood groove on her opponent's sword, but that it was harder to use her strength to push ahead. She mentally commended the forgery of the claymore.

"Observant." Canna responded. She parried a sword swing and countered. "I find it easier to just have yoki on the base of your feet-"

Kuroui managed to meet Canna's shin with her claymore. There was a slight scraping sound.

"-and glide along the ground." She finished.

Kuroui's eyes narrowed to where she was sure she cut a deep wound. However, it seemed like it a just a tiny scratch on her leg.

"Ah, you're noticing my Skin Armour. It's hard to pick up, but you seem to have a very keen sight." Canna said. She touched the tiny scratch with her hand. "In the midst of battle, sometimes you can sense where the blade will strike, but you will not be able to dodge. I had condensed the Yoma blood and bunched it in the spot you were to strike, strengthening the skin and muscle cells there. That then make it harder to puncture and even with a deadly strike, I can get away with a small cut" She explained monotonously

Rina and Kayla, both at the sidelines, cheered them both on. The two returned to striking and slashing. Both seemed evenly matched. The small bell on Canna's claymore rang constantly, much to Kuroui's annoyance. Suddenly, Kuroui twisted her arm and let her claymore drill into her opponent. Canna tried to block it with hers, but Kuroui's power was too much and sent her claymore flying to the side, missing Kayla by a centimetre. It caught Canna's gut but she suddenly clasped her palms on the sides of the blade. Her hands were filled with Yoma power that gave her the strength to stop it from twisting. Kuroui let go of the blade without hesitation. If she had not drawn back in time, the torque would have spun her instead of just her arm. Canna threw the claymore to the side.

"I think they're in a tie!" Kayla whispered to her sister. She nodded, agreeing completely. "But I think Kuroui's better, she got Canna to lose her claymore first!"

Both sparring warriors eyed each other warily and went to retrieve their claymores. They moved slowly, watching the other for any side-attacks. Kuroui put on 10% of her yoki power.

"Uh oh, Kuroui's getting serious!" Rina yelped. "…what's happening with Canna? Her yoki feels…strange…what's happening, Kayla?"

Kayla focused on the older claymore. "Her yoki power is…10%...no wait…30% what…? She's returning back to 10%...she keeps increasing and then decreasing it!"


	6. Distraction

**Chapter 6 – Distraction~**

The two warriors picked up their claymores and went into battle stance again. The wind blew their hair and rang Canna's bell. Suddenly, Canna was gone in a flash and appeared right next to Kuroui, who calmly blocked the thrust without missing a beat. The bell chimed quietly.

"Don't you know that the bell gives away your position? I don't know why you keep it on. It's a nuisance and a bother to have on." Kuroui pointed out.

Canna smiled. "It has a different function. A subtle, but strong function."

Kuroui twisted her arm, ready to try to attack again. Canna seemingly threw something, but Kuroui could not see anything flying towards her. Suddenly, something struck her cheek and her body shifted instinctively. Canna gave a burst of laugher at her confusion, but excused herself for that after. She came straight at Kuroui, but used her feet to jump from side to side. The bell kept ringing, and it told Kuroui where she was, but its constant ringing distracted Kuroui. She tried to counter a thrust Canna attempted, but Canna quickly switched the claymore to her left hand. She managed to cut Kuroui at the side. Kuroui quickly tackled Canna, pushing her back a few metres.

"So that's what it does…" She said, touching her wound. It was not serious, but it could have been.

"Yes. With your mind focusing on watching my movements, the bell slips into your awareness and distracts you. It can reward you greatly, but also give away your position, as you said." Canna said.

"And your Yoma blood? Constantly increasing and decreasing it must be a pain."

Canna opened her mouth to speak, but a hungry growl interrupted her.

"S-sorry!" Rina called from the sidelines. "I must be hungry."

The two warriors sheathed their sword and went back into the house for dinner. Canna instructed Rina and Kuroui to find specific berries to pick while she took Kayla to a nearby waterfall. She warned them not to pick the wrong ones, as they could be poisonous. Kayla saw some fish already struggling to jump to the top. Canna motioned for Kayla to join her at the centre of the stream. Kayla rolled up her pants and sleeves and dipped a foot into the water.

"Cold!" she yelped.

It took her a while to adjust to the temperature in the water. Canna instructed her to catch some fish, as many as she could.

"Listen closely child," she said. "You must feel the current, like the fish do. Although it feels like the water is constantly rushing at you, it ebbs and flows. It is during the ebbs that fish push themselves forward, and when they cannot sense the disturbances around them. At that time, catch them."

Kayla was first unsure of what to do; she asked for a demonstration and watched Canna carefully. There was a fish that swam between her feet. Canna eyed it, watching carefully for something. The fish stayed still there until it decided to move on. At the same time, Canna stuck and caught it between her two hands. She tossed it at Kayla. Kayla attempted to grab it, but it was slimy and slipped out of her grasp. It returned to the water with a splash. Canna chuckled at the disappointed Kayla and encouraged her to try again.

"The ebb and flow of the water…is that what you do with your yoki?" Kayla asked.

Canna nodded, struck, and had a fish in her hands. She tossed it onshore.

"It is very difficult, but if you focus on controlling your yoki in that fashion, you can stretch the stamina of your Yoma blood. From 10% to 30%, you strike. From 30% to 10%, you rest and defend. It takes a heavy toll on your focus, but is a great edge for battle. It decreases the chances of Awakening, since you limit yourself to 30% and decrease it at that point."

"Hey, look, it's Kayla and Canna!" Rina called.

She and Kuroui appeared from the shadows with their baskets full of purple-blue berries.

"What a beautiful waterfall!" She remarked.

A fish swam past Canna. She made a grab for it, but it slipped once her fingers touched it.

"Sometimes the most effective weapon in battle is distraction."

Kayla stood in thought, soaking in the mini-lesson. "You are really sharp, Canna. And wise too."

"Hey, Canna, can I try that too?" Rina asked.

She nodded and clambered out of the water, Rina taking her place next to Kayla. Kayla tried to repeat what Canna had said to her about catching fish, but Rina couldn't understand the concept.

"Enjoying the scene?" Canna asked, taking a seat next to Kuroui.

"Did you make this place? I saw crude sword marks in the dirt and the ground seemed unusually flat, considering the landscape."

Canna patted her on the shoulder. "You are truly fit to be the leader of the group. Your sharp eyes miss nothing! Your battle skills are commendable as well. With enough age and experience, your intellect will grow as well, Kuroui. You are still young."

Canna's attention was suddenly directed to Rina, who had finally caught a fish…with her claymore. She cut the fish clean and half and held the two pieces triumphantly over her head.

Kuroui was silent as ever, but inside her mind she was restlessly analyzing the information. Earlier the day, she had come across a grave. Daragan's grave…

* * *

><p><em>Kuroui saw the crudely shaped cross that stood on the small mound, in front of a great claymore. There were flowers already at his grave, probably gifts from Canna. She prayed for Daragan a little, thanking him for keeping Canna alive and generally greeting him. Her eyes turned to what looked like a fence near the edge of the clearing. Kuroui walked over to it to further inspect it. It had a slight curve that would enable it to keep only one person out. She was puzzled at this contraption. The branches were sharpened and pointing out at anyone who came close on one side, but it was only the width of one person. Surely Canna didn't intend it to only keep out whoever was in the way with <em>that…

The other claymores had begun a water fight. A pile of fish was located near Kuroui, who was still trying to find the use of the "fence". Before she noticed, Canna was pulling her up from her seat and told her they were returning.

Over dinner, Canna asked the girls about Teresa, whom she thought had great potential, but left the organization before she could watch her grow up. With sadness, they informed the elder warrior that she had died fighting Priscilla, the strongest Awakened Being. They also shared with her the findings of Miria, a fellow claymore. While Rina and Kayla conversed lively with Canna, Kuroui was still deep in her thoughts, trying to figure out the puzzling use of the sharp branches.

"Do you still have your Black Card, Rina?"

Her pride as a leader kept her from asking Canna herself.

"Yeah, do I look dead to you?"

She couldn't have used it to keep anyone else out.

"Hmmm, this _Black Card_ thing must have been implanted after I defected…"

Kuroui's eyes widened. She realized what the "fence" really was. A sharp chill ran down Kuroui's spine.

The "fence" was Canna's self-made guillotine.


	7. Village

**Chapter 7 – Village~**

Later that day, Canna asked the group to sit down with her by the fire. Rina and Kayla brough two stools from the kitchen while Kuroui decided to stand in beside the elder claymore.

"What's up?" Rina asked.

Canna took a sip from her cup of tea and looked at the claymores. "I will teach you my techniques, as I have said, but the training will take long hours. I suggest you go to sleep earlier today, for I expect you all to be at the waterfall by sunrise."

Rina grinned. "Alright!" She stood and was heading towards the bed, eager to bring tomorrow about.

"**Wait!**"

Rina immediately sat back down.

"The village nearby. The people there are nomads who have come from a far away land. A land which did not have claymores or Yoma."

The news struck the group like a bolt of lightning. Their eyes widened and Kayla's jaw dropped.

"They had arrived a few years ago. It took me a very long time to learn their language, but I managed it. They tell me that they have never had 'demon' problems or seen people with silver eyes and hair before…until they came here. "

Kuroui stiffened. "So Miria was right…please continue."

"They decided to settle here until they got to know this world. I showed them the landscape, which plants were good to eat, which to heal. They told me that they arrived by boat from a land called "Zhipangu". It seems these people have their own culture. The theory that you mentioned yesterday…I would like to bring you to the village to see it for yourself tomorrow, after training of course.

* * *

><p>"When your opponent has the advantage of speed, you will not always be able to defend with your claymore" Canna lectured.<p>

Rina, Kayla and Kuroui were standing under the waterfall, without their heavy armour. Rina was shivering like she was about to have a seizure and complained about how cold it was. Kayla said nothing, although her face obviously showed she felt the same way.

"Focus your Yoma blood on the epidermis. Which is the outer layer of your skin, not your mouth. Your skin will harden and it will be more difficult for the enemy to cut you. Do it until you cannot feel the cold of the water."

It took around 2 hours of focusing. Canna watched on a nearby rock, just in case any lost control of their yoki. Kayla was the first to succeed, but even then she had trouble keeping it up. Kuroui learned it too, and had a longer hold of it. Rina finally succeeded, but was slipping on her yoki control.

Suddenly, Canna threw a small pebble at Kuroui. It bounced innocently off her stomach. Kuroui looked quizzically at the attacker. Her yoki dropped from the distraction and the Skin Armour faded.

"Do not lose control of your Armour for one second."

Canna then began asking the group about themselves. Trivial questions like what their favourite food was and if they preferred puce-coloured cloth or fuscia, all to get the warriors off-focused. They slowly got used to her and began to answer her questions back, usually short replies. Rina eventually stopped complaining about the water's cold temperature, even when it lowered as the day went on. Soon they were talking amongst themselves without losing control of Skin Armour.

"I think Miria's right, with the "Zhipangu" people coming fro-!"

Kayla's words were cut short from a larger rock thrown at her. It hit her square in the gut and she faltered. Canna chucked another one at Rina, who punched it so that it broke. Already aware of the situation, they fought against a rain of boulders. Canna was training them well, boosting up the distractions until they could control the Armour while jumping around and dodging.

They were soon out of breath and Canna, out of rocks. "It has been a good day." She said, smiling softly at her trainees. "Time for a break." Kayla and Rina hi-fived and raised a hand to Kuroui, who hesitated, but returned the salute.

_These children are not like the ones from my time._ Canna thought to herself. _It would have taken them 3 years to master it. I have to commend the Organization._ She looked back to the three warriors; Rina hooked Kayla and Kuroui in her arms and gave them a noogie to the head. Kuroui managed to slip out and twisted Rina's arm until she begged for mercy. They all laughed…well, Kuroui _smiled._ But it was obvious that they were very closely knit. _Yes, these girls are nothing like from my time._

The village was small, but there were many people. They had huts made from wood and a very large marketplace. People stared at the four claymores but quickly went about their business. They maneuvered their way through the pushy crowd and finally arrived at the centre of the village, where there was a large statue of what seemed like a god. Canna was looking around, searching for something, or someone. The other claymores had their eyes glued on the ground, avoiding eye contact with the villagers. A small red ball rolled and bounced off Kuroui's foot. A small group of children ran over and said something to Kuroui.

"_Boru o kudasai!_" a boy said, pointing a small finger at the ball.

Kuroui stared at him before understanding what he was trying to say. She picked it up in her hands and gently tossed it to him. He smiled, said something, and was off to play with the group. The group was surprised. Usually they were treated coldly, but Canna was right, this village had never heard of claymores before. A small girl from the group stopped and shyly ran back to Kuroui.

"_Kimi no me wa totemo kirei desu yo!_" she said. She blushed and poked at her fingertips.

"She says your eyes are very pretty, Kuroui." Canna translated.

Kuroui's eyes softened as she met the girl's curious gaze. She reached a hand down and patted her on the head. She giggled and ran off.

"The kids here are really nice." Kayla commented. Rina nodded in agreement.

"Who are you looking for, Canna?"

"My friend, he's a villager who's learned our language as well. He's learned English better than I learned Nihongo, which is the language they speak here."

A younger, teenaged boy with glasses suddenly broke from the crowd and waved at the group. Canna waved back.

"There he is. His name is Honda. Although he says he wants to be called "_Arthur_" in English." She said, emphasizing his English name.

The boy was young and lanky. His short black hair matched his equally dark eyes. He rushed over to the group and stared at the girls.

"H-Hi…my na-name is…Arrshurr." He said, raising a hand to Kayla. Canna rolled her eyes jokingly at the use of his English name and muttered "show-off".

Kayla took his hand with a firm grip and shook it. "Kayla. Nice to meet you, Arthur. These are my comrades Kuroui and Rina." She greeted in return.

"Arthur" suggested they go visit a tea shop and walked with them, chatting wildly about a variety of subjects. They could tell from his accented and broken English that he was still learning the language. His r's were slurred and he could not use ts or ks very well. His s became sh and his grammar was off. When he talked to Canna, he switched to Nihongo. He said something that made her laugh, and he responded with a flustered face. She looked back at the claymores slyly but said nothing to them.

They finally arrived at the tea shop, a humble little building. There were no walls, but a railing so that customers could look at the busy street as they ate. The claymores and boy took a seat near the railing. Canna and Arthur took one side while Kuroui, Rina and Kayla sat facing them. They shifted in their seats, the claymores on their back bothering them. A waitress recognized the group and brought over an umbrella stand and placed it next to them. Canna thanked her as the waitress started a friendly conversation with Arthur, probably what they were ordering.

"It is an umbrella stand." Canna whispered to the claymores. "To put our claymores on." She took her own and leaned it on the stand, a bit awkwardly. Kuroui, Rina and Kayla followed suit.

"So what are we ordering…?" Rina asked shyly. "I don't understand what…_Arthur_…is saying."

"Just tea, child. And a sweet pastry called _odango._ It's very good. The stick is not edible though. He's also…._fancying someone_ in that seat…" She said with a wink.

She twiddled a finger at the three claymores and smiled slyly. "_Shimpaishi nai! Kare wa ii otoko yo!_" She said in Nihongo, purposely teasing them.


	8. The Girl He Fancies

**Chapter 8 ****– The Girl He Fancies**

"Fancy? You mean like…well _like_ one of us?" Rina hissed.

Canna nodded and smirked. It was obvious that she would not tell which of the three it was. Kuroui coughed and looked away, Kayla blushed at the thought of it and Rina was spluttering on words to express her confusion.

"So…where do come from? Long way?" Arthur asked the girls.

Kayla nodded, although she dared not to meet his gaze.

"Much like Canna; long silver hair. Silver eyes too. Our village welcomes you."

He turned and whispered into Canna's ear. Canna laughed at what he said.

"He wants to know if you would like to go shopping later. Well, either way I will force all three of you to come. I _do_ owe him for teaching me the language."

They all silently died inside.

The three girls followed a distance behind Canna and Arthur. He kept glancing back at one of them, but turned away just as quickly.

"Tch." Kuroui spat. Her glare at Arthur frightened him and he whispered into Canna's ear.

They came upon an alley that specialized in gold and jewels, or so Arthur explained. There was also a brewery, which Canna seemed eager to go into.

Rina's eyes turned to a shop. It had little jewelled animals. She grabbed Kayla by the arm. Not wanting to be alone, Kuroui ran after Canna into the brewery. No one seemed to notice where Arthur had gone to.

"Hey look, it's a cat!" Rina said, picking up a jewelled cat brooch. The shopkeeper was an old lady, and she let them browse through with no concern. "These are so finely crafted!"

Kayla picked up an owl are stared at its eyes. She giggled and showed Rina her findings. They moved onto the next store (yes, they did put the animals back) which seemed to specialize in embroidering jewels onto scarves and cloths. The sifted through the materials, wondering what fabric they were using, since it was so unfamiliar to them. When they turned around to find the group, the only saw Arthur, watching them.

He came up and offered a jewelled comb…to Kayla. He shyly said her name and motioned for her to take it, face flustered.

Kayla stuttered on her words. With trembling hands, she gratefully accepted it. Arthur's face brightened and flashed her a quick smile before joining Canna and Kuroui in the brewery shop.

Rina elbowed her sister, right in the rib and earned a hard punch of the head. Kayla turned the comb over in her hands. It was coloured gold and studded with jewels. Lines were engraved on each tooth, the work of a genius. She wondered how much Arthur had spent on it and felt a little guilty. Rina could not stop giggling and doubled over in laughter.

"Quit it, Rina!" Kayla said, her face reddening. She put in her pocket so that it was safe.

"_Sake, kudasai. Jyu-kyu nen"_ Canna said in Nihongo.

The male shopkeeper nodded and went into the backroom. Kuroui lifted the small fabric overhead and stepped into the shop. She looked suspiciously behind her and walked over to the claymore

"That…boy…He doesn't like me…right? Not in that sense?" Kuroui whispered.

Canna smiled. "He fancies Kayla, that one. Always the shy type. He says that you scare him…" She replied.

Kuroui straightened. "O-of course! And…he thinks I'm scary…?" She asked, a little guilty. She didn't mean to be rude to him. She was just unsettled by the friendliness of the village.

Canna patted her friend on the shoulder. "Honda sees you as a very authourative figure. I told him that he'd have to get past you to date Kay-Hey look it is…!"

Arthur had appeared next to them. Canna laughed awkwardly and tried not to seem suspicious.

"Ah, more _sake_ Canna? It's not good for health." He said.

She turned away from him and back to the shopkeeper who arrived with a large crate. The bottles inside rattled softly. Canna rushed over to help the man, who was struggling to carry it. She took its weight effortlessly with one hand. The shopkeeper laughed heartily at her strength and praised her. With her free hand, she gave him a few gold coins from her pocket. He took it gratefully and waved her, Kuroui and Arthur goodbye.

"Do you need help carrying that?" Kuroui offered. Canna shook her head and had a smile plastered on her face, like a child that had a new toy. She hummed a tune as she joined Kayla and Rina.

"Woah! Is that all booze? You're not gonna get drunk again are you?" Rina exclaimed.

Kayla and Arthur caught each other gaze and turned away awkwardly.

"And you'll never guess what happened to little Kayla here," Rina said as she hooked her arm around Kayla. "My sis is growing up!" She teased, wiping away an imaginary tear.

"Ahh, excuse me. I must get home…" Arthur quietly said. He turned and ran the other way.

"Take care Honda!" Canna yelled cheerfully.

* * *

><p>Kayla was alone in the room. Canna placed a small mirror on the vanity table that night...for some odd reason. Kayla took out the jeweled comb and stared at it. She sighed and awkwardly brought the comb to her scalp. In one fluid motion, she combed her hair. She thought it was stupid that the boy take a liking to her. She was a claymore, and he was just a human. She though it was a stupider idea to actually take his gift, but here she was, combing her hair with the jeweled comb. She smiled to herself and continued bringing it from the top of her head to the tips of her locks. <em>No wonder Canna doesn't leave this place,<em> Kayla thought with a smile. _The villagers make me feel…human._

Kuroui stepped into the room, right as Kayla hid the comb in her palms.

"Canna wants us all at the waterfall again."

Kayla furiously nodded, scared that her leader would catch her playing with the comb. Thankfully she left and Kayla managed to hide the comb in her pocket again before setting out.


	9. Sprain

**Chapter 9 – Sprain~ **

"Canna, where are you? I can hardly see!"

The three claymores searched for her in the darkness. It was a new moon too, so they practically had no light.

"I'm over here, standing in the waters, child. My technique of movement, which I have yet to name, involves pushing your Yoma blood to your feet. Since you already know how to control it to your skin, this should be no problem. Usually you quicken your speed by pushing your Yoma blood to your legs, strengthening them, but, if you were to have a rock in your way, you would trip, strong leg or not. When you push your Yoma blood to your feet, also imagine pushing it _out_ of your feet. When you run then, you will glide over obstacles in your path, so long as you keep pushing the yoki out."

"Then why are we out at-" Rina stopped in realization.

They could feel Canna's smile. "That's right! You shall all run through the forest several times over with this technique. The point where you turn back to this waterfall is at a…a clearing. I shall be standing there so you can sense my yoki."

They heard a small tinkling of a bell, leaves rustling and they could only faintly trace their trainer's yoki.

Rina pounded her foot into the ground. "Shit! How does she think we can possibly do this? She must be crazy! I can hardly see anything but trees!"

"She warned us before that it was going to be hard." Kayla retorted.

Kuroui said nothing but focused her Yoma blood on her feet. She inched forwards, testing out the technique.

"Granted, it's not useful for walking, when you take one step at a time, but I can see how useful this is. You automatically go over whatever thing is in your way; rocks, fallen logs, animals. I would have never created such a technique like this…!"

Rina and Kayla followed suit, seeing that their leader praised it. They walked forward with it, and into the water and out of it.

Kayla suddenly gave burst of speed into the forest but tripped and gave a small shriek as she fell.

"I guess it isn't all that easy…" She said, getting up again.

They all tried again, slowly making their way through the forest. They all fell at one point or another, but they refused to give up. Finally, they got to a clearing and an unrelenting Canna told them to go back to the waterfall and come back, only faster.

Rina groaned but did as she was told. She rushed ahead and squealed as she seemed to bump up and down the land. She didn't fall, but the numerous obstacles she went over made her lose balance.

"You are beginning to master it! Keep trying!" Canna yelled behind her.

Kayla and Kuroui exchanged glances and also began the trip back to the waterfall, only faster.

Canna sighed, content with her trainees' diligent and paced towards a crude wooden cross.

"Daragan, I have to say, things at the Organization have surely changed since our time." She opened a bottle and poured some of the drink into a cup. She placed the cup near the mound and filled another small cup for herself.

"It would be nicer if it were a full moon today, oh well, _kampai!_" She cheered as she raised the cup. She knocked it back in one fluid movement.

* * *

><p>It was almost sunrise, but the three claymores were proud of their work. They only tripped over large objects, a fallen tree or a sleeping bear (which Kuroui almost ran into, Rina sped over it and face-planted when she returned to the ground) They were about to reach Canna for the 82nd time when Kuroui suddenly gave a sharp cry and fell behind them.<p>

"Kuroui?" They cried out in unison.

They tracked her yoki to find her sitting up. "What's wrong?" Rina asked.

Kuroui pointed to her right ankle. "I must have sprained it. I saw some animal run by me and I tried to turn to avoid hitting it!"

She let out another cry of pain. They could hear leaves rustling nearby and Canna calling out their names.

"We're over here Canna!" Rina called.

They kept hearing her race around them, but she did no appear. After a short silence, she asked them to keep talking to her so she could find them. They obeyed, and finally she appeared, face full of sweat.

"We should get that treated. Did you fall on any thorns or met any animals on your fall?" Canna panted. "Kayla and Rina, you must rest from your training, I will carry Kuroui back. Despite this accident, I think you have all trained the technique very well."

"Well, it was a rat-like creature, except bigger. It had a row of spines along its back. It had cat eyes too, I could see it in the dark. When I tried to maneuver around it, it bit me!" Kuroui explained.

Canna nodded. "Poisonous animal." She told Kuroui. "Unfortunately, I do not have the exact remedy for it. It is not a fatal poison, but it should be treated. You sprained _both _ankles avoiding it too. I am going to the village to ask for the antidote. I asked Kayla and Rina to fetch you some food and water."

Canna got up to go.

"Wait!"

She turned back to Kuroui.

"That time in the woods, why couldn't you just sense where we were instead of listening for our voices?"

"Heh, child, my yoki senses were dull, even back at the Organization. They worsen with time since I have not sensed any claymores or Yoma around these parts. When you, Kayla and Rina were almost dying a few days ago, I could no distinguish whether there were two or three warriors above me."

Kuroui soaked in the information and bid her friend a safe trip.

* * *

><p>Two claymores stood on the cliff, overlooking the village. One of them pulled over her hood and took out her claymore.<p>

"You sure this is the village?" one of them asked the other.

"Yep! The Organization wants it all obliterated. Who knew there was a village like that out here in the wilderness? They all seem human …Hmmm…that's strange."

"What is it?"

"Seems like we've got a claymore buddy in there. She doesn't seem to have sensed us though. Organization said for everything there to be destroyed, they never said anything about sending another claymore there."

"Our informant is coming in a few days, I think we could wait and ask him about that claymore. Is she strong?"

"Not sure. Now she seems weak, worried about something dire, but she's travelling at an awfully fast speed, how is that even possible?"

"Let's hope she's on our side."


	10. Remedy

**Chapter 10 ****– Remedy~**

The boy who was known as Honda tried to hang on tight. With one hand, he clutched the antidote tightly against his chest and with the other, wrapped it around Canna's neck.

"_Haiyai! Caaannnnaaa! Tomete! Onegai yooo!_" He wailed.

"_Shizukani!_" She barked.

The boy continued to beg for her to reduce her speed, but she only increased it. Finally she began to stop and came to a complete halt in front of her home. She let the boy down from her back and lifted the grate over her house. She motioned the still-terrified boy to go inside. He jumped in and she followed after. He stopped to regain his balance, checking to see if he still had the antidote.

"Hond-I mean Arthur!" Rina exclaimed.

"No time for idle chatter!" Canna cut her off, grabbing the boy by the scruff of his shirt and rushed to the bedroom where Kuroui was.

"K-Kuroui-san!" Arthur stuttered. He clumsily opened the bottle he had with him.

"Is that the antidote? It smells bad!" Kuroui scoffed. She stayed silent as Arthur came to her foot.

"How are you feeling? Have you eaten?" Canna fussed.

Arthur put some of the ointment on his hand and put it on Kuroui's ankle. She felt a sharp pain but kept her mouth shut. Her ankle was purple and lay on a pillow. He pressed firmly and Kuroui started to feel heat radiate from his palm. After a few minutes, Arthur took his hand off and handed Kuroui the bottle.

"Drink." He commanded.

Kuroui and Canna both had a look of surprise. Kuroui took the bottle and her face grimaced. Canna shot a look at Arthur, demanding an exclamation. He seemed to fear her and squabbled in his native language. As he explained himself, Canna's face softened.

"Honda says that the medicine with connect from your foot to your blood system. It will take it and you will vomit all the poison out later…There is no other way of ridding your body from it." She translated for Kuroui. Canna raised her hands and rubbed her temples, worried about the effectiveness.

Kuroui held the bottle to her lips and drank it all in one go. She threw the bottle away once she was done and tried to keep her face calm. Her face twitched until the disgusting taste was gone.

Canna and Arthur both looked at her with amazement.

"S-Strong…" Arthur managed to say.

Canna slowly went to the kitchen to get a pitcher. She placed it near Kuroui for her to vomit in. She thanked the two and fell back, trying to rest herself.

Canna turned to Arthur. "I shall be at the village." She slung her claymore over her back. "Kayla! I think you can come and heal Kuroui's ankle now."

Arthur seemed to tense at Kayla's name. He turned sheepishly around when she stepped into the room. Canna left, replaced with Kayla. She put her hand to Kuroui's forehead and tried to look cool in front of Arthur.

"How is it? Are you feeling better?" Kayla asked as she moved to start healing Kuroui's ankle.

"Urgh, with that medicine, I'm going to hurl soon. _Literally._"

Arthur left the room and brought back a wooden chair. He placed it behind Kayla for her to sit on and watched her hands carefully, intrigued with her yoki synchronization.

"This stuff _stinks!_" Kayla remarked.

"Yeah, and I had to drink it." Kuroui grumbled. "Where's Rina?"

"Oh, Canna asked her to help her make some tea for you. She also said that she's going to dry and salt the fish to take with us when we go."

".Y-you're…leaving?" A timid voice asked.

It seemed like the girls forgot that Arthur was still there and could understand them

"…well, yes…eventually…" Kayla mumbled.

Arthur had a sad look on his face, but said nothing.

Rina arrived, carrying a tray with 4 tea cups in them. She sat it down on the nightstand. She gave one to Kuroui, making sure she held it upright. Kayla, Arthur and Rina then took her own.

"Hey look! A stalk floating upright! I heard that's a sign of good luck!" Rina chirped.

"Mine has it too!" Kayla responded.

"Mine too." Kuroui confirmed

"Canna, as always." Arthur simply said.

The three claymores turned to him quizzically.

"Ever since we told Canna, she comes to village to buy tea fresh. She sits all day separating stalk and leafs, and put stalks in tea. Always like that."

Rina grinned. "So _that's_ what she was doing that day we were sparring!"

Once Arthur had finished his tea, he set it down. "I must be going home. It expects me." He found the opening of the underground house and waved them goodbye.

"Kinda feel sorry for the poor kid, y'know." Rina said, twirling the cup in her hands. She chanced a glance at Kayla, who felt just the same. She was about to ask her further about Arthur when suddenly Kuroui spilt her cup of tea.

She lurched forward and grabbed the pitcher. Her hand trembling, she vomited the insides of her stomach out.

"Kuroui!"

She vomited again, and her face was full of sweat. Rina came beside her to brush her bangs out of the way of her bile. Kayla rubbed her ailing friend's back reassuringly.

"Damn this nasty medicine!"

After a while, she stopped throwing up. She wiped her face clean of all the sweat and washed her mouth. Rina went to get Kuroui some food, since she just emptied it out again. Kayla sat still on the chair, her eyes closed. Rina arrived back with a cooked fish-on-a-stick. Kuroui ate hastily, in big gulps.

"Hey, Kayla, what's wrong? Thinking about…_lover-boy?_" Rina teased, poking her sister's cheek.

She swatted her hand away and crossed her arms. "I'm picking up…claymore yoki…near the village. They're suppressing it thought. It looks like they're going nearer to it….wait…they're getting ready to kill someone!"

"Ah, nothing Canna can't handle! She's Canna of the Thousand Techniques! She'll defeat them once she senses them!"

Kuroui dropped her meal. "But…Canna _can't_ sense them…her yoki sensing is weak…!"

At once, the three claymores snatched their swords and armour and were off. Kayla closed her eyes and came to an abrupt stop, Rina and Kuroui stopped after her.

"No way…"

"What?"

"There's a bunch of Yoma right behind-"

Kuroui managed to slice off the Yoma's hand before it reached Kayla's head.

"Damn it. This bunch'll take a while to clean up." Rina spat.

They spiked their Yoma blood to 10% and went onto slaughter the Yoma that appeared from the trees around them. Their formation and co-operation gave them the upper hand and they were fending the Yoma off.

"I hope Canna's having a fun time at the village."

Canna walked through the busy marketplace. It was the season of dragon fruit, and stores were selling them out right and left. Only a handful of them were ripened already and the townspeople were scrambling to buy them. In her shopping basket, Canna checked for incense and fresh flowers. With a nod, she asked the grocer for some fruits and drinks. The old lady smiled and took some dragon fruits from under the counter.

"I always save three for you, Canna." She said.

"Thank you, Meiko." She paid her with a gold coin and put the dragon fruits in her basket.

"That time of the year, huh? I think you're just too young and beautiful to be widowed. Why don't you find yourself another husband and settle down here?"

Canna laughed softly and continued on her way with a heavy heart.

She reached the town's water supply, a well, and took out a small flask. She pumped the water and filled it up, then took a drink. She settled down on the steps and looked up at the sky. Her arm ached from carrying that basket along with all the fabric she bought for her house. Suddenly her skin prickled. Yoki.

"Hey there. What's your rank? We were sent her by the Organization on a mission."

Canna turned to see two claymores standing before her. One of them had long bangs and tied her hair back in a braid; the other had her long hair tied into a twisted ponytail.

"A mission? What may that mission be, pray tell?"

The ponytail claymore's face scrunched up. "Answer our questions first! We're in the top ten, so don't be messin' with us! I am Beatrice, rank 7 and this is Natalia, rank 5."

Canna took a drink from the flask. "Rude children." She muttered. She got up and walked down the few steps to meet the claymores eye to eye.

"I am Canna. Rank 11."

The claymores looked at each other. "I though Ella was rank 11…" Natalie whispered, although Canna could clearly hear her.

She rolled her eyes as they conversed. They still talked, and argued about ranks, while Canna retrieved her things. She walked the opposite direction, trying to not be bothered the claymores.

"Hey! As your superior, _number 11,_" Beatrice sneered. "We command you to help us on the mission. If you don't, we'll report you to the Organization _and kill you_!"

Canna looked calmly at the two arrogant claymores. They returned her gazed with spiteful eyes. _I cannot tell anymore if the Organization really has improved…_she thought.

"It's an easy job really." Natalie said in a deceitfully sweet voice. "All you gotta do is kill everyone in this village and torch it to the ground."

Canna's eyes turned golden.

"Of course with a _low-rank_ like you dragging us down, it-"


	11. Pressing the Berserk Button

**Chapter 11- Pressing the Berserk Button~**

Beatrice was lucky. If she hadn't heard the tiny bell tinkle, she would've lost an arm. Canna stood up tall and straight, like a noble who was about to lead an army. Her claymore erect before her.

"No one shall cause harm to my village." She declared.

Natalie and Beatrice scoffed at her. "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing? The Organization sent us to destroy this place! Stop getting in the way, you hag!"

Canna's grip tightened around the hilt of her claymore. "_No one shall cause harm to my village!_" She repeated.

Natalie readied her own claymore and her partner stepped back. "If it's a fight you want, you got it!"

She charged like a bull, which made it easy for Canna to sidestep out of the way. Canna kicked her legs at Natalie's, and tripped her. She stumbled, but regained her balance just in time to block an attack. Out of the corner of her eye, Canna spotted Beatrice coming in to fight her as well. Switching the blade to her left hand, she made a grab at Natalie's shoulder pad, and with her sword in tandem, managed to propel her for at Beatrice. Natalie gave a cry of surprise and she was lifted off her feet and flung at her friend. They both landed on the hard ground.

Beatrice was the first to get up, and took out a small earpiece. "Request for backup. Claymores 5 and 7 at the targeted village."

_Request for backup. Request for backup. Request for backup._

Canna spiked up her yoki. Some villagers nearby were watching the scene, unsure of what was happening. Beatrice and Natalie could feel Canna's unstable yoki, increasing and decreasing.

"Are you a monster?" one of them cried.

Natalie focused her Yoma blood on her arms, as the claymore in her hand seemed to churn forwards and back.

"Now you'll see why they call me Piercing Natalie." She said as her face changed. She too had spiked her yoki to 30%. She ran at Canna, planning to catch her off surprise, but Canna was faster, and was in front of Natalie in a blink of an eye. She planted her claymore at the front of her shoulder. It was not a deep wound though, considering her low strength, and before she could get hit with Natalie's sword, she flipped over her, claymore dragging across Natalie's shoulder, behind her. Canna sat in a squat behind her enemy, claymore resting up against Natalie's armpit. With a roar, Canna let a burst of Yoma blood in her arms and brought her claymore forward.

"GAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Blood spilt everywhere as Natalie's arm was sheared right off. Unable to stop the momentum in time, Canna's claymore hit the ground and dust and debris flew everywhere. The villagers scrambled into their houses for protection. While Natalie was trying to adjust to her situation, Canna's eyes were directed at Beatrice. They stared right through her. Beatrice's hands trembled. Although she had become used to seeing golden eyes at 10% yoki levels, her oppenent's eyes were filled with dark emotions, and they seemed to pierce right into her mind, leaving her no safe place to hide.

"Until your friend re-attaches her arm, I suppose I'll have to settle with you." Canna sighed. She turned to take a look back at Natalie, who was searching around the rubble for her lost arm. "That is…If she finds her arm in time…" Canna smiled with amusement.

Beatrice's yoki flared up even more. "I-I-I'm not scared o-of-of you!" She stood in a defensive position; hands shaking so much that Canna could hear it.

Canna walked forward slowly towards the younger claymore. The bell tinkled with every step. Beatrice's ears starting ringing, the tinkling was getting louder and louder as she grew nearer and nearer. She swung her sword and caught Canna's side. Canna stopped, searching her waist for blood.

Beatrice laughed. "Hahahaha! I cut you! I cut you! Ahahaha!"

Canna took her hand off her waist, revealing that Beatrice's cut had almost no effect.

"Looks like you just fooled yourself…and it looks like you've snapped, child."

Beatrice gasped and tried to scream. She found that the sound and air could not pass through her throat. She looked to see her opponent's hand clenched around her throat before she knew it and her hands were wet with blood. Beatrice tried to scream again, but her throat burned and hardly made a squeak. Canna's eyes pierced her once more, and her smile grew wider.

By then Natalie had found and re-attached her arm. When she saw what Canna was doing to Beatrice, she immediately charged at her. Beatrice continued to claw and scratch at Canna's arm, but she had focus her yoki on it, so her attacks were futile. Canna kept squeezing her throat tighter and tigher…

"DIIEEEE!" Natalie roared.

Canna turned and flung Beatrice at Natalie. Natalie caught her friend, dropping her claymore to catch her. She stared at Beatrice's throat. There was a huge chunk ripped off, killing her as her blood spilled everywhere. She looked back at Canna, who had blood smeared all over her armour and face. Her hand still held the chunk of flesh.

"**Leave this village.** Never return, and take your repulsive friend with you…_or do I have to silence you too_?"

Canna's eyes returned to normal. She sheathed her claymore and went to the pile of rubble.

Natalie sobbed as she hugged her friend's corpse. "Monster…! That woman is a _complete ANIMAL!_ I can't believe sh-"

Canna's sword zipped through the air, planting itself deep in Natalie's head. It exploded with blood and pieces of flesh flying everywhere. Canna panted hard, eyes aglow and body trembling. She let out a string of curses as she regulated her yoki, trying not to let emotions turn her into an Awakened being. She walked back to the claymore. Her face was so brutally mutilated by the flying claymore it was better if she were beheaded.

Canna put a foot on the flesh and pulled her claymore out. With a flick of her wrist, most of the blood came off onto the street.

"_Mou, subete wa owari yo!_" She called out to the villagers.

When they heard that it was over, villagers curiously poked their heads out from the safety of their homes, shocked to see Canna next to two dead bodies. They started mumbling to themselves as Canna searched the rubble. She found her basket under a slab of rock. Her things were scattered about, but within a few minutes she had gathered them all up. She told the nearest person to take the bodies outside and burn them as she left the village and continued home like nothing had happened.

Canna stopped for a while and sat on a rock, sighing. She unsheathed her claymore and laid it beside her. Her back was burning again. The doctors of years past had told her that her back injury would cause her a lot of problems in the future, but they just didn't expect her to live that long. She cursed them under her breath and rubbed her back.

"Told ya she would kick their butts-WOAH." came a voice.

She turned to see Kayla, Rina and Kuroui staring intently at her blood-stained clothes. She explained that she had a rough encounter with two claymores at the village, but she voided the details about the battle.

"-There's a certain place I would like you to go to travel to. It's a place near Rabona. I've heard that some other rebelling warriors are there to defeat an Awakened Being…what was her name again? Ah yes, Priscilla."

Rina and Kayla's faces darkened at the name. "Priscilla's in Rabona huh? Looks like that's our next stop." Rina muttered.

"Will you join us, Canna? We could use your expertise."

"Hmmm, I cannot. I could not bear to part with this village, or my home. You shall have to forgive me for this, Kayla, Rina, Kuroui."

There was a heavy silence as the wind blew around the four claymores.

"…You killed them, didn't you? I could feel yoki disappear." Kuroui said hesitantly.

Canna scratched the back of her head. "Yes I did, I thought they were starting to awaken and kill the villagers so I had to take them out clean and fast." She said, laughing awkwardly. "I must have misjudged my strength and got blood all over myself."

Rina and Kayla laughed with her. "Oh, that's good." They simply said.

Kuroui said nothing. Her yoki sensing was so sharp that she could sense Canna's words.

_They were lies._

_Kuroui had picked up Canna's own yoki spiking up at certain points, almost like there was a taboo her enemies had said or done. She took a while killing them, for someone who was so skilled and experienced._

_The two claymores had definitely been terrified and released their yoma blood, but not past 50%, where their bodies would physically start to contort._

_For someone who only had to put a good amount of speed and strength to behead two people, Canna's clothes and hands were awfully bloody…_


	12. Lies In Battle

**Chapter 12 – Lies in Battle~**

Kayla and Rina took their time with their goodbyes. Canna took their hands and spoke gently about being able to see them in the future and blessed them a safe journey. Kuroui stood a distance away, uncomfortable standing near a warrior like Canna and yet she was smiling and giving them dried food and water skins for the trip.

"I just wish I could have learned more of your techniques before this…" Kayla sighed.

Canna patted her on the shoulder. "Do not worry child, I shall always be here. Maybe once all of this fighting is over, you can all come back and I will take up teaching again!"

Kuroui sensed no lies.

Rina gave Canna a big hug. "Group hug!" She yelled. Kuroui was pulled in by Kayla and they all hugged. "I will miss you all _very_ much."

Her words were so truthful Kuroui's heart trembled.

They let go of each other, but still continued their long goodbyes.

"Why can't you come with us, Canna?" Rina asked.

"Ah, I do not enjoy the spill of blood. I am weary of fighting."

Those were slight lies. Canna's heart must have felt conflicted.

"And I must protect this village. It is very dear to me, and…Daragan rests here too..."

No lies there, but Canna's heart faltered with sadness.

The three warriors were trekking through the forest, carefully not to fall on any thorns.

"Hey Kuroui, we'll be able to come back here right? Maybe a few times a year?" Rina asked casually.

Kuroui wasn't sure how to respond. She kept silent, trying to ignore the question. She clenched her fists and quickened her pace.

"Kuroui, is something wrong?" Kayla questioned.

Kuroui closed her eyes. She figured as leader she shouldn't keep things from her teammates.

"Canna…may be slightly…unstable…mind-wise. Her yoki has no trouble, it's just that…"

"That? Just that what? You can tell us!"

Kuroui sighed, feeling ashamed for talking behind her friend's back. "I could sense her yoki when she met us covered in blood. She was lying about her battle."

They looked at her wide eye and Rina gave a gasp. "So then…what…"

"I don't know the details, but the two claymores she met at the village weren't even going past 50%. Canna _knows_ that going past 50% means your whole body contorts, yet she said they were about to awaken and killed them…"

She let the first fact sink in. A nearby raven cawed and took flight off a tree. Kuroui continued.

"Furthermore…I don't know how to say this without scaring everyone…but…the yoki of the warriors went out pretty slow for someone as skilled as Canna. I could sense the fear and hopelessness from them…and anger and ecstasy in Canna's…"

There was a long silence. "I would have never guessed…are you sure about this Kuroui…?"

Kuroui nodded with a frown on her face. "It certainly is disturbing. I think she meant well. Her yoki was fine at first. I was thinking that maybe it was something the warriors did or say that provoked her so mu-"

A rustling was heard in the bushes nearby, coupled with an audible groan on pain. The claymores readied themselves for a potential enemy.

"W-Wait! It is only Arthur." It called.

He stumbled out, tripping over his own feet. Embarrassed at his act, he blushed a bright red. The claymores sheathed their swords once again.

"Hey Arthur, you were at the village weren't you? Can you tell us what happened with Canna and the other two warriors?" Kayla asked.

Arthur hesistated. "Canna asked me to not tell you…but…to help you, I will face her wrath..."

He told them how she sliced off the one called Natalie's arm. Or Beatrice. He wasn't sure of the names of the two women. When the other was talking into something, Canna ran up to her and tore her throat up. He told them how he thought she was smiling, but it must have been in his head. She threw the body at the living warrior. He said that Canna was about to leave them alone, but the warrior said something about her being an animal.

"_Animal_? Shit! That's probably what triggered her crazy side!" Rina shouted, interrupting the poor boy.

They claymores looked at her curiously, but Kuroui got it too.

"Daragan the Animal…" she mumbled.

Arthur looked quizzically at Kayla, who sighed and tried to explain to him. He understood and continued his report.

"When the girl had said word: "Animal" Canna grew mad and threw sword which hit in head. Left big mess. Have never seen Canna so scary before"

Kuroui held her chin in thought. "Well at least we know what her taboo is…"

"Daragan." They all replied in unison.

Achoo!

Canna turned around to sneeze. _Someone is talking about me_, she thought as she laid the dragon fruits around the grave. The incense sticks were alight and the wisps of smoke drifted into the air. She took out the alcohol from her stock at home and cups. As she did before, she poured one cup for Daragan and another for herself. Before drinking it down though, she put her hand to Daragan's claymore, as if she could feel his soul in it.

"Will I be able to…join you soon…?" she sighed.

The winds whistled their reply, and shook the bell on Canna's claymore. She leaned forward and touched her forehead to her lover's claymore. Before she knew it, there were tears running down her face. She scolded herself and wiped them away, although new ones kept replacing the ones lost.

"_In this world that is becoming engulfed in night_

_I fondly remember you_"

"_Everything you gave me and your love despite_

_The hardships we went through_"

Canna had not been well-known as a singer, but she had a beautiful voice that accompanied the wind and the chime of the tiny bell.

"_Believe you, trust you_

_Even if I must point this claymore at your head_

_I know that you'll just restrain your tears_

_And give me a smile instead_

_As you slowly disappear_"

She forced herself to swallow the tears so that her voice not be drowned in sobs. She wouldn't want Daragan to not hear the song she made in his memory.

"_Even if water can erode all of my sword_

_I won't let it break my heart_

_Your love like a drop I adored_

_Slowly breaking it apart_

_The day when they came to take you away_

_All the colour in my heart turned back into grey-_"

She couldn't continue anymore. The sadness in her heart broke her voice and she vented it all out. She could feel the pull of the Yoma blood, the yearning to awaken and be free of the pain, but she resisted. She apologized to Daragan for crying over his grave, but she knew he wouldn't be able to respond.

Suddenly, she heard a sharp explosion and felt a wave of heat. She brushed away her tears to see the village, her village, the small group of nomads who accepted her and settled down in this land. They were all screaming in terror from the mass fire that had ignited in their homes.

Canna snatched up her claymore, saying goodbye to Daragan, stood up and pushed 30% yoki to her feet. As she got closer and closer, she could see a line of claymore warriors slashing at the villagers. There were at least 10 of them slaughtering the helpless people.

She brought her claymore down on the ground, making a dust explosion and catching their attention.

"I AM YOUR OPPONENT!" She screamed at them. "I AM CANNA OF THE THOUSAND TECHNIQUES, THE WARRIOR WHO HAS CHEATED DEATH AND WILL BRING IT UPON THOSE WHO HARM THIS VILLAGE!"


	13. Story Split

**Chapter 12.5 – Thousand Techniques of Slaughter INFO**

_A/N: "Thousand Techniques of Slaughter" will be a close up on Canna as she protects the village and is separated from this story for its…well, blood and gore, as referenced in the title (duh!). I want to keep this story rated T so I will post it as a separate story. You won't miss anything if you don't read it though, just body parts flying around as Canna goes berserk on the 10 or so claymores. Feel free to read it or save yourself your mentality and continue on the next chapter. Yeah, it's basically just about Canna ripping the insides out of the poor warriors. You won't miss much._

_I mean, she can't just waltz right in. She already screamed at the people that she'll kill them all and her famous name. She can't really just be all "Everyone stop fighting, this isn't right!" or use her magical shoujo powers to spread the love and knock the claymores out…or can she? Not like this is giving me claymore-sailor moon crossover ideas or anything…_

_Oh, and if you haven't already, read Kuroui's claymore trilogy, starting with Lost Sibling, Waking the Dead and the still-in-progress Home. She's the one that inspired (more like booted) me to watch/read claymore. I also borrowed her OCs Kayla, Rina and Kuroui so cookies to her for that. And edited my work, mostly the generations of the warriors...and Kuroui really likes Isley, but don't tell her I said that._

_The song Canna sings in Chapter 12 is actually a cover of a Vocaloid song. I'll write it out later, probably once I'm done this whole fic. She only sings part of it during th chapter, I have it all written out. I might even record myself singing it! _


	14. Last One Standing

"Shit, Canna really did fight everyone!" Kuroui spat. "But her yoki's going unstable, even for her."

The claymores rushed back to the village when they saw the fire, reluctantly leaving Arthur behind them. Kuroui sensed a huge battle, and one by one the mass of claymores dissipated, leaving only 4 or 5 yokis left.

They reached the entrance of the village in shock. The buildings were all burned up in flames, some colliding with each other and falling, and there was a huge pile of _something_ burning near the side.

"Oh my…!" Kayla trailed off, she pointed to the pile. "Those are…those are claymores bodies!"

As if on cue, a horribly scorched abomination crawled out from a nearby building. It was the upper part of a body, crawling out with hands that were burned and scarred. Rina unsheathed her claymore and prepared to attack it.

"What is that thing?" She yelped.

"I…finally made i-it!" the body said. It tried to reach to the warriors, its hands obviously meeting short. It continued crawling at the three with a slow speed.

"I think it's a claymore…she's almost dead, but…she's still alive." Kayla said.

"Did…Canna do this…?" Kuroui asked.

The burning torso nodded. "That…monster…killed everyone…a-a-and tossed me into…into the flames like this…I can still hear her…her laugh… 'Let's see if you can still cr-cr-crawl out…' she said."

Kuroui put a hand over Rina's blade. "I'll handle this." She whispered.

Rina nodded, near tears at the sight, and sheathed her sword, backing away to join Kayla. Kuroui stepped forward to the claymore. She squatted down to examine the wounds. She had a clean cut that separated her from her legs, but due to being in the fire they were cauterized and could not heal even with another pair of legs. The claymore didn't move as Kuroui examined her with a grim face.

"You won't have much longer to live." Kuroui told her as gently as she could.

"I kn-know…" She replied. "K-Kill me now…end my-my..my suffering already…!"

Kuroui took out her claymore. "Tell me your name and rank before you die."

"I am…26th….Gracia…"

Kuroui brought her claymore down on her head, chopping it off to give her a quick end.

"Rest in peace, Gracia."

After burying the half-body, Kuroui ordered her team to search for survivors. The flames were much too big to do anything about it. As Kayla and Rina split up, Kuroui focused on tracing Canna's yoki, but she had a hard time keeping track of it. After 30 minutes, the three team members returned to the meeting point.

"There are no survivors anywhere! I couldn't find any human bodies either!" Rina reported with a frustrated tone.

"Maybe they all escaped…" suggested Kayla. She turned to Kuroui. "Maybe we should go find Canna now. She took up an entire army, she might be hurt."

Kuroui nodded. She focused her mind on yoki sensing. Once she found the small glimmer of yoki she didn't let it go.

"At the centre of the village, we'll have to run through a few fires. Keep your Skin Armour up."

Rosanne could hardly keep up with Canna. Canna suppressed her yoki, attempting to slow down the process of Awakening, and to give her opponent an advantage. She launched another flurry of slashes and stabs. She laughed at Rosanne's weak excuse of blocking as she managed to inflict a few wounds.

"Hmph, I should hurry and finish you off. I need to get back to my own things…"

She danced away, parrying a blow when she spotted 3 shadows coming in from the flames.

"Canna, stop! Don't kill anymore!" they all yelled.

She lowered her blade and glared at them. "Step back or I might think of you as more enemies…" She growled.

Rosanne's knees buckled. "No more! No more!" She cried. She couldn't face up to Canna, much less 3 more claymores that were on her side.

"_I saw Canna and her friends too Honda!" Akie said to her brother gazing over at his shoulder. He was busy reading some book Canna had bought for him. It was all in English._

"_I was playing ball with my friends and when it rolled off, one of her friends tossed it back to us!" _

"_Mmmm…did she have long hair?" Honda asked, wondering if it was Kayla._

_He was slightly disappointed when she shook her head. _

_Suddenly, there was a loud rapping at the door. The siblings heard muffled sounds as their mother answered the door. Loud footsteps came at their room and the door burst open. Canna stood there with a menacing glare._

"_I need Animal…with…spine." She said in her broke Nihongo._

_Honda stood up from his desk and rushed to the family shelf. He knew what animal she meant. His family specialized in herbology, from their homeland to this land. He opened up the various drawers and compartments, while his sister peered in curiously. Akie looked at Canna, reaching a hand to touch her hair._

"_Akie, don't bother our guest." Honda scolded._

"_It's not a worry." Canna replied, letting the young girl feel her hair._

_Honda fumbled and pulled out a bottle of liquid. He was about to hand it to Canna but he felt himself being lifted off the ground and found himself on Canna's back._

"_Hold on." She said as she started running._

The boy known as Honda, or Arthur as he preferred, slumped on the log. It wasn't fair that Kayla, Rina and Kuroui had left him there. He argued that he should go with them too, but their speed was far too great for him. He was quite a distance away from the village, but was slowly making progress. The village had planned ahead, and made an escape route out to a nearby cave, only, Honda didn't know the route. His parents had yet to lead him down the secret path. He got up and fast-walked down the forest. _Everything in our town is burning,_ Honda thought to himself. _I'll have to ask Canna for another book AND help rebuild our stock of herbs._

He came to the village entrance, which had crumbled to ashes. The village was still burning, but most of the buildings had toppled as the fire was going out of fuel to burn. He yelled out his friends' names, but he doubt he could be heard over the roar of the flames. He didn't dare go nearer to the fire, but continued calling. He saw a warrior burst out of the flames out in his direction. It wasn't any of the claymores he recognized though. The warrior kicked him in the stomach, not enough to knock him out, but to stun him enough for her to seize him.

The warrior held a sword to his neck and had her arm around him to keep him from moving. He then saw his comrades come in. Rina scoffed and angrily shouted, presumably swearing. Kuroui put her hand on Rina's shoulder and said something he couldn't catch.

"What's happened?" He asked, not daring to move as the sword twitched.

"Drop your claymores!" The woman who held him yelled. They obeyed, although Canna, only lowered hers.

Canna, who first scared him with the sheer amount of blood on her, answered him coldly.

"You're being taken as a hostage, Honda. You might get killed here."


	15. All That Will Be Lost

**Chapter 14 – All That Will Be Lost~**

"Well, are you gonna lower your weapon or not?" Rosanne barked.

Canna glared at her, muttered something about ramming her claymore through both of them, but dropped it down on the ground. Kuroui side glanced at her, she noticed her nails growing.

_She must be planning an attack,_ Kuroui thought. _She might just kill Arthur just to get at Rosanne…_

Rosanne seemed to be lost, unsure of what she should do now that she had the claymores defenseless. Rina and Kayla seemed to catch onto that

"Now what are you gonna do? Got anything planned?" Rina taunted.

"Just give up the boy already." Kayla urged.

Rosanne twitched and stepped back. "Don't tell me what to do!" She snapped.

Kuroui got a smiling glance from Rina and joined in the fun.

"Humph, you don't even know what to do with a hostage. What kind of stunt are you trying to pull?"

"Shut up! Shut up! All of you!"

"How is it like being cornered, Rosanne? Four claymores against you and you don't even know what to do with him." Canna added.

Rosanne gave an angry roar and shoved Arthur ahead with a strong push. He turned around and stumbled backwards, losing his balance. Canna was the first to rush forward. He was about to fall, but Canna caught him from behind, steadying him. At that point, Rosanne lunged forward with her sword and thrusted it at them. Canna was quick to react though, and using her feet to swivel, turned so that the claymore plunged into her first. It went in so deep though that it went through Canna's stomach and into Arthurs'.

"Hahahahaha! Got you now!"

The other three claymores wasted no time snatching up their claymores and attacking her in a pincer formation, Rina from the right and Kayla from the left, while Kuroui came in from above. Rosanne's body was cut into two by Rina and Kayla. Kuroui came down, cutting her head and finally killing her.

Canna stepped back and pulled the claymore out of both of them, coughing up blood in the process. "Barely missed my heart…" She muttered. She took a look at Arthur, who wasn't so lucky. He fell to his knees, and onto the ground. The other claymores came to their sides.

"Can you heal him…Kayla? I heard you…know healing…" Canna said.

Kayla's eyes watered, as she shook her head. She laid Arthur on his back. "Only if you're a claymore."

"Arthur…sorry we couldn't protect you!" Rina spluttered, eyes reddening.

Arthur breathed out heavily. "I'm…sorry…for getting…being hostage…"

Kayla broke first and sobbed. Kuroui hugged her for comfort. Canna also began crying, although they were silent tears that slipped from her eyes. Rina desperately tried to keep it all in, but she too, broke. She punched the ground with her bare fists and ground her teeth.

"There's no need for an apology from you, Honda. I hope you find your way to the afterlife." Canna mumbled as she closed her eyes.

"W-wait…Kayla…do you...still have…comb?"

Kayla took it out from her pocket and offered it back to him. He chuckled and closed her hands around it. "Please keep it…with…you."

Arthur finally closed his eyes and his heartbeat stopped. Rina gave a cry of agony and Kayla hugged the gift close to her. Kuroui wiped away tears as they fell. She looked at Canna, who sat quietly beside her. She had tears coming too, and her shoulder shook ever so slightly. She touched the wound on her stomach. Kuroui felt her yoki flowing like before, with a deep sadness in it.

"You did your best to save him, Canna" Kuroui whispered quietly.

"That's not it…" Canna replied. She coughed up more blood. Suddenly her yoki flow increased. Her eyes and face changed.

"Canna, stop it! Pull back your yoki now!" Kuroui yelled.

Rina and Kayla turned back to the two, just in time to see Canna transform. She grew horns and her teeth sharpened.

"Take care of Honda. His family will be waiting in the cave to the northeast of here. And don't follow me."

There was an explosion of wind as Canna flew off, wings sprouting from her back. She flew off in the direction of her home, past the forest.

"Shit!" Rina exclaimed. She was about to set off after her before Kuroui held her back with a hand.

"She knows what she's doing. Besides, we have more important things to take care of." She said as she looked at Kayla, who was still crying beside Arthur, comb held tightly.

"I want you to take her to the cave that Canna said after you bury the body here. Do your best to tell the townsfolk what happened. I'll stay here to clean up as best I can." She said.

Rina gave a nod and came to Kayla's side, softly telling her their orders. Kuroui went into the village, which had all crumbled. She had some work to do. She managed to fish out some pieces of wood that escaped the fire and made crosses with them.

Kayla and Rina found the cave, and the people huddled inside. When they saw them, they scrambled excitedly up to them, squabbling in their native language. Rina tried to hold them back and listen to their words. Kayla stood at the entrance, in a trance and still grasping the comb in her hands. A small girl squeezed past the crowd to the front to get a look at the two claymores.

"Uhh…big…fire…burning…!" Rina said, mimicking her words to try to communicate.

The small girl skipped past Rina and came up to Kayla. She placed her two tiny hands on Kayla's hand.

"Kayla."

She looked up, broken from her trance and saw the girl with her big bright eyes.

"_Nii-chan…Honda._"

The small girl opened Kayla's hand that held the comb and pointed at it. She smiled a small childlike smile as the whole cave grew quiet to watch them.

"_Atashi no nii-chan wa Honda. Douko desu ka?_" She asked.

_Where is Honda?_ Kayla understood her question without needing a translation by the mere mention on his name. Kayla said nothing, but squatted down and placed her comb on the ground. She used her hands to scrap up the dirt from around it and covered it, like a grave. She started weeping again, but wiped her tears away. The girl's eyes softened and welled up. She squatted down to get a closer look at it.

"Nii…Nii-chan…shinda?"

The people seemed to feel her sorrow as the whole cave was silent except for the sobs of a little girl.

"Shit, Daragan. I must have taken up after you." Canna said as she neared the clearing. "These wings hurt my back, especially…after going in that blood battle."

She reached the wooden fixture and touched it with a claw that no longer looked human. With nothing else left to say, she let herself fall on the wooden spikes. They impaled her chest, arms and neck. _Thank goodness I had this here_ she thought as the pain finally dulled and she lost consciousness.


	16. Canna of The Thousand Techniques

**Chapter 15 – Canna of the Thousand Techniques~**

"Where are we going, Kuroui? And why do you have that cross with you?" Rina asked.

Kuroui said nothing, but kept walking through the forest path.

"We're going to go kill Canna, aren't we?" Kayla said sharply. She was carrying Canna's claymore with them.

They reached the clearing and Rina and Kayla stood wide eye at the scene. Kuroui simply closed her eyes and bit her lip.

"T-That's…that's Canna!"

The two ran to her awakened body. She pushed herself down on them and it killed her. As gently as they could, they pulled her up and off the spikes. Kayla put a hand to the wounds.

"She…She really did kill herself…Canna really did…!" Kayla confirmed.

"That idiot!" Rina said through clenched teeth. "She knew this would happen…"

They buried her body next to Daragan's grave, so that they'd be together. Kuroui came and planted the cross on her grave as Rina and Kayla went off to gather some flowers. Kuroui also planted Canna's claymore there. The wind softly blew it and it tinkled with its familiar sound. Kuroui spotted some writing before, where the wooden spikes were and walked over to it. With a swing of her claymore, she knocked it away. There was a message there, presumably from Canna.

"Kayla, Rina, Kuroui, I leave with you the knowledge of my lifetime. Underneath here is a scroll detailing how to execute my techniques. Put it to good use. –Canna."

Kuroui's heart skipped a beat, as she curiously dug into the soil. She found the scroll and unraveled a bit. She read the writing about the Flash Step and Skin Armour. She smiled to herself and thanked Canna. "You'll live forever in these techniques and every time I fight a battle."

Kayla and Rina returned, although Rina also had a bottle of Canna's alcoholic drink in her arm.

"I thought she'd like to have a drink." Rina said with a small smile.

They place the flowers on the two graves and spilled the drink around it on the soil. They all gave them some prayers to find the afterlife and to rest in peace. Kuroui finally stood up and stood her claymore erect like Canna did before her battle. Kayla and Rina followed suit, wiping away their tears. Kuroui loudly proclaimed:

"The claymore who had created over a thousand techniques in her lifetime, and escaped death to live another. The claymore who had given that life to valiantly protect a village against 30 of the Organization's warriors. The claymore who has her heart of gold entwined with the most twisted thorns of the forest, Canna of the Thousand Techniques!"


	17. Days After Epilogue

**Epilogue – Days After~**

Canna added more wood into the fire. Today was a cloudy day, and it brought with it a cool breeze. She sighed, content with the serene calmness of her home. She looked around, mentally noting that she should buy more fabrics. How long has it been already since…？

She heard a soft thud from beside her. She stood up and closed her eyes.

"Daragan, I told you already that you're going to kill the poor boy at that rate!" She barked.

She turned to glare at the two men, who were sparring behind her. Honda blocked with the wooden sword against Daragan, although he countered at swiped at his legs, felling the boy. He gave a small cry as he landed on his backside. With a smug grin, Daragan helped the boy up with an outstretched hand. They walked towards Canna, who was tending to the fire.

"I don't know why you do that, it's not like any of us have to eat or anything." Daragan said, putting his hand into the fire to show he didn't feel much.

Canna sighed. "I know this is the afterlife, but we are still in our forest. I guess it's just that no one can see us."

"Well no one bothers to come up here!" Daragan said with a laugh. As ghosts, or shadows of their selves, _whatever_ they were, they could barely make things move, although natural elements were easier to handle.

They turned to Honda, who sat next to them and gazed at the fire.

"So did you go down and take a look at the village, Honda?" Canna asked.

He nodded. "I saw, they're rebuilding it and they're going to name a school there after me. My sister has all grown up, and she's going to be the first teacher there."

"We should all go visit them in the future, eh?" Daragan mused. "And maybe haunt a few houses." He joked.

Canna whacked him on the head, defensive as ever over the village. Daragan growled at her like a dog.

"I was here all that time, you know, always trying to talk to you! You could never see me though! I did things like tip over those bottles of _sake _and jump on your bed while you were sleeping! And it took you soooo long to finally join me I think I grew 1000 years older!"

Honda laughed, understanding everything he said. He didn't seem to have any language difficulties in the afterlife. Canna glowered at him with a fiery aura.

"So it was _**you **_who tipped them over!" She yelled, proceeding to knock him around with a flurry of punches.

After the two had settled down, they decided to go and visit the waterfall. Canna and Daragan walked hand in hand, although they did try to trip each other for a while.

When they reached it, they were surprised to see it occupied.

"What did that scroll say? On the feet? How are we supposed to spin when-ohhh!"

Rina, Kayla and Kuroui were standing there. Kuroui had the scroll that detailed Canna's techniques and read it aloud to the two that were in the water.

"Hurricane…" Canna whispered as she squeezed Daragan's hand tighter.

"So…these were the claymores you told me about huh?" He mumbled. "Looks like they found the scroll."

Honda was busy splashing into the water, although it did nothing but ripple. He walked over to them, but realized they couldn't see him. He put a hand in the water and brought some of it up to splash Kayla, although only a few drops touched her cheek. She brought a hand to it.

"Did you guys just splash me with water?" She asked as she turned to Honda, although her gaze went past him. "Or was it…just me…?"

Honda was happy with her response, however small it was. He clambered back on shore to happily watch them.

"Your yoki has to flow around the base of your feet…"Kuroui read. "Keep your legs together and let the yoki turn you."

Canna joined in the reading, memorizing what she had once wrote. "Once you've mastered your balance while spinning, bring your claymore and spin while having it up to your chest, horizontally across."

Canna smiled softly as she watched them practice. A soft wind blew and they all heard the tinkling of a little bell.

**END.**

_A/N: Thanks for reading all this from start to finish! *wipes away tear* I'm so happeh! I think it went pretty well for a first fic (all 15 chapters plus extra!) Anyways I've put a little trivia here for your reading pleasure._

_-Canna is the name of a Breton saint/princess as well as the name of a type of flower. Fits along with the name themes as well as sounds cool._

_-The blood groove actually existed in early times. It was mistakenly thought help the sword draw back after piercing flesh, but really it just strengthens and lightens the sword._

_-The lizard thing Canna talked about actually happens to some reptiles. The really do re-grow their tails and end up with two! (I did my research!)_

_-The vill_ag_e was based on Japan (Zipangu- Zhipangu LOL) so ye_s,_ that is my failure of romaji and Japanese (Nihongo). Honda is a popular name (especially with cars) as well as Akie._

_-Canna's not insane and mentally ill…she's just senile :P…okay yes she is crazy sometimes. After Daragan's death, she wasn't feeling all that well…and she DID make the clearing and waterfall by herself. It used to be all forest._

_-When I was creating Canna, I wanted her to be someone who was wise through many years, but still kept her sense of humour. I also wanted her to stand out from other claymores, but not in terms of strength/speed per say. More like her intellect and wit. Daragan was sort of her foil in that he was childish but had a sort of adult presence._

_-Hm, if I assigned theme songs for my characters, Daragan would have "How Soon Is Now" by t.A.T.u. Canna would probably be Love is War by Hatsune Miku by the emotion of the song (not so much the lyrics) and Honda would have "Absolutely (Story of A Girl)" about his crush on Kayla._

_-All the grave customs (burning incense, giving fruits and flowers, pouring the drink around the grave came from Japanese customs._

_-The animal Kuroui ran into in chapter 15 was based on the pokemon Nidorina. A spiny little animal that's poisonous. Nidorina is a poison/fighting type spiny pokemon. Probably the weirdest fact I have here…Too bad Kuroui didn't have a pokeball with her. ;D_

_-The Organization sent the 30 claymores (Rank 10 to 40) to kill the villagers and burn the village down because of course, the village didn't know anything about Yoma (if you've read up in the Claymore manga) so they wanted to wipe them all out just in case. And the Org being the Org, they send out all the low rank claymores…Finding Canna there was just a bonus (or death sentence)_


	18. Canna's Song The Tear Of The Sword

_This is the full version of the song Canna sings in Chapter 11 at Daragan's grave. It's a cover of the vocaloid song "The Tear of the Sword" sung by Megurine Luka. _

_(I was not able to go anywhere and just stood here_

_You and I were dancing in the distorted world with lots of lures)_

In this world that is becoming engulfed in night

I fondly remember you

Everything you gave me and your love despite

The hardships we went through

I want to protect a lot

(My country, my friends, and you)

All of them I treasure

But if I have to, I still cannot

Point this blade at you as your faithful lover

Believe you, trust you

Even if I must point this claymore at your head

I know that you'll just restrain your tears

And give me a smile instead

As you softly disappear

_(We were both together._

_I knew that one day, you'd awaken_

_I called your name out again and again_

_Though I understood my voice couldn't reach you)_

Even if water can erode all of my sword

I won't let tears break my heart

Your love like a drop I adored

Slowly breaking it apart

The day when they came to take you away

All the colour in my heart turned back into grey

Come over here and listen to me

The day when you finally came back to save me

You cried tears as you tried to talk of

Your last plea

To die as the only one that I love

_(I believe myself, my duty_

_You have awakened. I must protect the nation and the people_

_I believe in myself, this is your wish_

_But…_

_Why am I shedding a tear?)_

Believe you, trust you

This claymore resting in my bloody hands

Shaking and trembling

Your claws reach up to brush my hair strands

You kiss my forehead and start disappearing

_(You were smiling, opening your arms_

_You snuggled me with your hands red_

_Believe you, trust you_

_The sword was shedding a tear in my tremulous hands)_


End file.
